Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-07-29
THE BOSS PROCESS.


coming into use which is said to be
much cheaper and more satisfactory
than any other. It is known as the
Boss continuous process, is already in
use in 80 mills, and will soon be
adopted in all the Comstock mills, If.
ter thorough tests. A reporter of the
Virginia Enterprise thus describes
the process:
1t begins at the batteries. Coarser
screens have been put on the batteries
than are usually used, and the point
OF discharge through these screens
has been raised three inches. The
pulp as it flows from the batteries is
from SO to 60 per cent. water. The
batteries discharge into a stump be-
meath the floor of the mill. From
the stump it is scooped up by buckets
carried by a broad endless belt and
elevated about rs feet, when it is dis.
charged into receiver from which
leads q four-inch iron pipe. This
pipe carries all the pulp from the Is.
stamps to the
SPECIAL GRINDING PANS,
These pans are three in number and
stand on an elevated platform outside
OF the mill. Three small pipes branch.
ing out of the four-inch one equally
divide the pulp and carry it to the
grinding pans. Small gates fixed in
the large pipe regulate the flow of
pulp to each pan. The grinding pans
are provided with ring shoes and
dies that work the same as the
two stones in a Touring mill. The
pulp enters hole in the top Of the
circular shoe, just as wheat enters the
upper stone in a Touring mill. The
shoes, and dies, too, are grooved
somewhat the same as are the burr.
stones used in grinding grains, but
theseSgrooves do not extend all the
way to the center edge of the shoes
and dies. The pulp does not long
remain between the circular shoes
and dies. 1t passes directly out and
is ground to an almost impalpable
powder before escaping. These spe-
cial grinding pans do nearly all the
grinding that is usually done in the
matchmaking pans, and are a princl-
pal feature of the Boss process. BY
the old plan of anal gamation, after a
charge of pulp is placed in a pan it is
ground about three hours before
chemicals are added and amalgama.
ton commenced. BY the Boss pro-
cess the pulp enters the pans ground
fine and ready for amalgamation at
once.
THE PULP ON ITS TRAVELS.
The California pan mill stands about
l,5OO feet east of the stamp mill.
Formerly the pulp was carried from
the batteries to the pan mill through
wooden hume, but it now passes
through an iron pipe four inches in
diameter. This pipe receives the
pulp after it has passed through the
three special grinding pans. This
rests on an elevated trestlework which
is nearly 20 feet in hight at the stamp
mill, and which descends on an easy
and regular grade to the pan mill.
The pipe has been laid along on the
south side of the top of the trestle-
work, while walk about three feet
in width is left in the center, with a
hand rail on the north side.
HEATING THE PULP ON THE WING.
When the pulp arrives at the mill
it passes through a steam jacket 80
feet in length. In this it is heated
to a temperature of ITO degrees
Thence it goes into the amalgamatiug
pans, under all of which are steam
and in these the tempera-
ture is raised is raised to 16O degrees.
HOW THE PULP GOES THROUGH THE
Ten pans and five settlers are being
run. The pans are all connected near
the top by pipe. The pulp enters
the first pan and the overflow from
this goes into the second pan, from
that into the third and so on from pan
to pan through the whole ten.
There is an automatic apparatus
that discharges salt and bluestone-
or whatever chemicals are used
into the leading pan at the proper
time. This is wheel revolving hor
izontally, upon which are a number
OF small sheet iron boxes containing
the chemicals. The wheel moves on
time, like a clock, and when the
chemicals are required they are
promptly dumped into the pan.
THE SETTLERS
Are connected by pipe, the same as
are the pans. When the pulp leaves
the last pan it goes into the first set
tier, and from that overHows into the
second, and so on to the last, where
i is discharged and goes forth into
the world as tailings. A rifle wing
is placed in each settler on one side,
which creates at that point a current
that rises directly from the bottom to
the top of the charge, though at all
other points the charge is settling.